Ahhh how I loved our time in Antwerp! I guess I didn’t know what to expect – it very pleasantly surprised me! The city of Antwerp is very large – but the streets are centered around the pedestrians so even though there are lots of people – there is plenty of room for everyone to be walking around. It has the old Europe feel with lots of monuments, cathedrals, and cafe/restaurants everywhere. I love how so many people here spend most of their nights on a patio somewhere in the city just to enjoy a drink, the warmth of the sun, good people, and being in the midst of one of the giant cathedrals.
People also love their dogs here. Dogs are allowed almost everywhere – shopping malls, stores, restaurants (mostly outdoor I think), trains, etc. I swear there is a cute furry creature every 5 meters – love! Can’t wait for our very own… 
We stayed at hotel Matelotte. A very swank, modern boutique hotel in the center of the historic part with only 11 rooms. Very clean rooms, good shower and a comfortable bed. I very much enjoyed our stay here. The front desk was also extremely helpful – restaurants, taxis, and plenty of wonderful suggestions.
The first evening we went to a restaurant suggested by our hotel, Estro Armonico with Dave and Maia. It was fantastic! It was below ground level in what felt like caves that were candle lit. The one chef had a fire pit and a grill in the middle of the restaurant and this is where all the food magic happened. We had a salad to start – It had everything including apples, raisins and a delicious French onion like dressing. The bread assortment, warm from the fire grill, was continuous and served with delicious garlic butter. We enjoyed a filet mignon – cooked to perfection on the fire grill with a nice smokey flavor. This steak is in the running for the best meat I have ever had! Dinner was complete with a baked potato and a bottle of Cote du Rhone – Bouilly… I must have this wine again! We ended the night by strolling the cobblestone streets admiring all of what Antwerp has to offer.
Fun little tidbit – we kept noticing lone severed hands all over this city and there was an impressive statue of a man holding a severed hand about to throw it… Apparently the river Schelde that runs through Antwerp used to be protected by a Giant – and if you didn’t pay the toll for the river he would sever your hand. One day one of the Gods Brabo fought the giant and won – and severed his hand. The giant’s hand can be found on one of the main street here – it’s about 2-3 meters wide. Antwerp – Ant means hand and werp means to throw.
Sooo onto the event of Vacasean! The wedding. The ceremony was at 11am at St Carrolus Borromeus cathedral – so large that it was nicely located on our tourist map haha. It was huge! Complete with a gate-keeper like older man in a fancy cloak. Had a lovely courtyard we could hang out in before and after the ceremony. Steph looked absolutely beautiful! After the mass we enjoyed sangria in the courtyard with the other guests.
The reception was at 7pm at a place called De Ark. It’s a large idle boat with lots of windows looking out onto the water that has been modernized into a beautiful space. The evening started with a never-ending glass of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. The service was fantastic – I mean all night I never had to go to the bar – anything you wanted was either replenished right away or brought to you within 1 min. We even tested this theory that you couldn’t have an empty glass of wine hehe…
So the whole wedding theme was based on Tom and Steph’s travels and how they met in Thailand. The hors d’oeuvres consisted of cheese and ham croquettes, mini samosas, and prosciutto on a baguette with some basil and parmigianno. We were given luggage tags with our name on it and a city – the location of our table. We sat at the Gent table with some great people – guy from Ireland (who was hilariously referring to lucky charms the entire evening….), ladies who met Tom and Steph in Thailand, Maia and Dave, and even Colin from Bathurst who I didn’t realize was there until we sat at the table… Too funny.
The couple and wedding party were introduced into the room by all the guests standing on their chairs waving our cloth napkins in the air, cheering and rocking out to some Franz Ferdinand! So much fun!
The buffet consisted of 3 tables with 3 dishes each. Canadian – sliders, potato wedges and Caesar salad. Asian – pad thai with prawns, green curry and rice, and a tofu noodle dish. Belgian – tomatoes stuffed with mini shrimp, potato balls, and Steph’s grandmothers amazing ham rolls in a white sauce!
The cake came with sparklers, a traditional Belgium song and again guests on their chairs waving napkins in the air. Awesome!!! This was a great way to build up our dessert appetite.
Dessert… Ok Tom and Steph are awesome at weddings. It was a dessert buffet that included rice pudding, fruit tarts, cake, chocolate mousse, creme brûlée, cinnamon ice cream, apple pie, belgian white mousse (?), and more! When I passed by the cinnamon ice cream I had originally politely refused since I was too full, but the server looked at me and said threateningly “you’ll regret it” hahaha. So I had some and never looked back.
The dance part started at around midnight. No, I did not catch the bouquet. Hehehe… Good dj – mix of 80s, current, and even some rock. This sounds like a bad mixture but he made it work. We danced until 4am! It was just an incredible time and we are so happy for Tom and Steph and props to them for throwing such an amazing wedding party!
We went to a BBQ the next day at Steph’s parents house a little outside of the city. We were 13 in all – mostly the travelers and close friends. Great sunny day, large backyard and even Diesel (Tom and Steph’s black lab) joined us. Most people, rightfully so, were drinking water 
. Steph has a wonderful family and it was a great way to end our stay in Antwerp.
Today we had a lovely breakfast in the sunshine and Sean even picked up a great new pair of shades on the way to the train station. Onward to Brugge! <3
